There are four important themes:
1. Conducting of supply chains
Virtual logistics concepts and ICT have the possibility to conduct supply chains more effectively and prevent unnecessary transportation, better organisation of supply chains and increase the quality of the products at the destination. Good examples are the Flora Holland in the Netherlands and the Halal SuperHighway in Malaysia.
Important concepts are:
- Quality based tracking & tracing
- Disconnecting of information from logistics movements
- Freight auctions to match supply and demand for transportation capacity
- Moving production clusters to attractive locations abroad
2. Decentralisation
A decentralised structure could be more effective to support a local market and reduce transportation movements for these products as well as rest products. A regional approach puts less pressure on transportation infrastructure, which often leads to congestion and creation of logistics bottlenecks. A decentralised approach also provides employment opportunities in rural areas.
Important concepts are:
- Decentralisation of production
- Multi-park agriculture production or industrial zones
- Relocation of production clusters to new areas
3. Clustering
Combining cargo flows and production activities in one or a limited number of centres has advantages in consolidation and transportation prevention. On the other hand it puts high requirements on the transportation infrastructure of these centres to avoid congestion.
Important concepts are:
- Regional Distribution Centres (RDC)
- Economic zones for manufacturing & distribution
- Mega consolidation centres near big cities to allow for fine distribution
4. Transportation
Transportation allows the basic access needs of individuals and societies to be met safely and in a manner consistent with human and ecosystem health, and with equity within and between generations. Transportation should be affordable, operates efficiently, offers choice of transport mode, and supports a vibrant economy. It also should limit emissions and waste within the planet's ability to absorb them, minimizes consumption of non-renewable resources, limits consumption of renewable resources to the sustainable yield level, reuses and recycles its components, and minimizes the use of land and the production of noise.
Important concepts are:
- Intermodal transport to reduce transportation times without paying high costs of using air shipments for the entire journey (e.g. SEA-AIR and ROAD-AIR solutions)
- Containerisation to reduce handling costs allowing for the application of cheaper modes of transport for short distance (like transport over water)
- Floating stock allows moving a big part of the transport need to cheaper modes of transport
- Distribution parks at national hubs & mainports (sea and airports)
©
2009 LBB International
